The Christmas Keepers
by WanderingRiverdog
Summary: Santa, Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman, the Nutcracker and more must pool their abilities to defeat Krampus and other villains to save Christmas. Think the Avengers, but with Christmas.
1. 1 Christmas came early, too early

Christmas was over. What a tragic thought. Santa sat silently by the fire in melancholy. An empty bag that was once filled with toys for every child on earth now lay deflated on the brick floor. Rudolph and the other reindeer were sleeping in their stalls, exhausted from another stressful Christmas night. Frosty the Snowman stretched his frozen arms in the tundra night as if absorbing the surrounding cold, yet even he morned the end of the holiday.

But these heroes were not the only ones to morn the end of this day. Within his dark lair, Krampus looked disappointedly at his sack of dismembered limbs. He could have gotten so many more. Even with his great power, he was not fast enough to collect all the naughty children he had wanted. Siting beside him, his trusty bumble munched happily and obliviously on the bottom half of a child's corpse. Professor Hinkle, the magician, was still upset that he hadn't gotten his hat from Frosty back yet, despite how hard he had worked this year. Even with all the magic abilities he had gained since that confrontation, he could not be complete without it.

"I don't care that Christmas is over," Professor Hinkle said, "I want my hat back. I'll just go get it."

"You can't," Krampus replied in a demonic, ancient voice, "your powers are restricted to one day, and that day has passed."

Professor Hinkle grunted in frustration, but one ancient spell he had learned long ago happened to cross his mind. Griped by desperation, he began performing the forbidden ritual. Before Krampus realized what he was doing, a bright, chilling light exploded within the cave. As the light subsided, Jack Frost stepped forward.

"You summoned me?" He asked arrogantly.

Before Krampus could punish his insolence, Professor Hinkle responded, "I want another chance. Bring Christmas back!"

At the snapping of his fingers, Jack Frost responded, "Oh, that's cold, but I'm up for it."

Mystical power began flowing through the dark trio once again. Krampus smiled with blood-soaked teeth.

Meanwhile at the north pole, Santa was feeling strange. He felt the power of christmas flowing through him again. But christmas was over, right? He glanced at the nutcracker, now shuttering to life, despite that fact that he could only do so on Christmas day.

"Something odd is happening," Santa said, "And I've got to find out what. Elves! To me!"

Two elven guards entered the room, ready for commands.

"Prepare my sled," he ordered, "someone just did something very naughty.


	2. 2 Professor Hinkle's finest performance

Sailing through the stormy night, Rudolph carried Santa on his back and used his shiny nose to navigate through the flurry. Rudolph had been the only reindeer awake and fit enough to fly, considering how strenuous the long, global trip had been. Yet Rudolph felt fine. He had always felt that his nose was not the only thing about him that was special.

"Onwards Rudolph," Santa said, gripping his saddle with one hand and patting Rudolph's side with the other, "We have to hurry."

The nutcracker, now fully awake, peeked out from within the backpack Santa had on.

"But," Rudolph asked, "Where are we going?"

Santa sighed. "With every blessing there is a curse to accompany it. That is what the Spirit of Christmas told me when I got my powers. Someone is causing the magical effects of Christmas to linger longer than it should, and we have to stop it. If Christmas never ends, the world will become enveloped in snow." He paused. "We are heading farther north than the north pole itself. A place only accessible on Christmas night."

Below them, Frosty the Snowman was matching their speed by adopting his travel form. He looked like nothing more than an enchanted silk hat caught in a jet of freezing snowy air.

"We are going to put a stop to it as soon as possible," Santa said, "And we may need all the help we can get."

After a few hours of flying in a straight line, Santa began pulling gently on the reigns.

"Slow down," he said, "they're close."

There was a brief pause in the storm, and at that moment they saw the dark workshop of Krampus and his elves. The clanking of metal, the cracking of whips and the screams of the wretched souls trapped inside made each of them relieved when Santa said, "it's not here. We have to go to his lair."

As the blizzard parted further and a cave came into view, the group knew exactly where to go.

Inside the cave, Professor Hinkle peered into his crystal ball.

"They're coming," he said, "Just as you predicted my Lord. They will stand no chance against all of us. With them out of the way, Christmas will last forever, as will our power over this world."

Krampus would have laughed in agreement, but he was busy scarfing down yet another naughty child. After all, he would be able to collect more very soon.

Before he was able to swallow the last bite, four figures appeared at the mouth of the cave.

"We all know what's going on here," Santa declared, "so put an end to it or this won't be a Christmas to write home about."

"Yeah," Rudolph added, "you're outnumbered."

Professor Hinkle chuckled as the bumble lifted its enormous frame off the ground and Krampus flexed his fingers expectantly. "Can't you count," he said, "There are four of us."

Santa did not understand at first, but after ordering Rudolph to shine his light into the dark cave, they saw him. Emerging from the shadows, the Grinch walked slowly towards them, its yellow teeth curled into a vicious smile.

"Watch out," Santa warned, "that one's a shapeshifter." Rudolph tilted his head in confusion.

Santa elaborated. "He can trick you into thinking he's someone else."

"No more talk," Krampus bellowed in roar that chilled everyone to the bone. He lunged towards Santa with his clawed hands. "I want you!"

Santa was quick to react. Summoning the power granted to him by the ancient Christmas Spirit, he held up his hands and a beam of light that looked like the aurora shot out and struck Krampus with enough force to hurl him against the opposite side of the cave.

Professor Hinkle ran towards Frosty. He began chanting in an ancient tongue and mystic symbols of light began swirling around his gloved hands. Just the sight of that hat made his attack all the more ruthless. "Exelsis deo!" A burst of burning air erupted from his hands and towards Frosty, but the snowman was ready. He only paused a moment before channeling the cold of the surrounding air like a funnel, Frosty emitted his own folly of icy air that could freeze a wooly mammoth is seconds, but could only manage to hold off the attack from Professor Hinkle.

At the same time Rudolph was preparing to charge the Bumble, as he had fought bumbles before, but the nutcracker tapped his hoof with his sword. "You take the grinch," he said, "leave the bumble to me. Trust me."

Rudolph sprinted towards the grinch who double backed into the darkness of the cave while the nutcracker walked briskly up to the bumble, who was just smart enough to realise how easy it would be to crush him in an instant. It chuckled to itself as it raised a foot, but as it came down, it was met with only the icy ground of the cave. It looked around in bewilderment. It had shrunken down to the size of a doll and standing eye level with it was the nutcracker, grinning triumphantly as it raised it's sword. "Let's dance," it said, slashing away at the brute. But even at that small size, the bumble parried each strike with its massive, hardened hands and was strong enough to get in a few strikes of its own.

Deep inside the cave, Rudolph searched for the grinch, his nose illuminating the dark walls. For a few moments, he thought he had lost his bearings, but his growing anxiety was interrupted by the familiar sight of Santa from behind. "I did did Rudolph," he said, waving his arms and laughing with joy, "Christmas is saved, now let's get out of here." Santa walked excitedly towards him and Rudolph was about to run up to greet his master, but then he remembered how the grinch was a shapeshifter and hesitated. Santa, or so he appeared to be, stopped as well. "What's the matter boy? It's me. Don't you trust jolly old nick?" Rudolph was not sure what to do, but as he caught sight of Krampus swiping at Santa at the front of the cave, he was sure that this santa was an imposter. His nose shone brightly as he lunged forward, his antlers prepared to meet the phony, but he grinch quickly perceived this, abandoned his disguise, and jumped nimbly aside. Rudolph looked around in bewilderment, but the grinch, a master of stealth, was gone to the shadows once again. This had gotten the better of him and Rudolph ran for the exit.

Santa was having problems as well. He was pinned to the ground as Krampus clawed furiously at him. Scraps of red cloth littered the surrounding area, and rudolph hoped it was not stained that way with blood.

"We can't beat them," Santa cried, "Let's go!"

With that, Santa pulled from his last well of power and held up his uninjured arm to emit a shockwave of energy that shot Krampus careening out of the cave and into the blizzard beyond. By the time he had gotten up, Rudolph was there. Santa hobbled on Rudolph's back and snached up the nutcracker, who was fighting the bumble, who was gradually growing by the second. Rudolph bounded out of the mouth of the cave, but then he remembered Frosty, who was still in locked in an elemental standoff with Professor Hinkle. Before Rudolph could go back and help, a figure emerged from the back of the cave. It looked just like Karen, Frosty's oldest and first friend, but Rudolph knew it was really the Grinch.

"Frosty stop," the Grinch said, imitating perfectly the voice of Karen, "he just want's his hat back."

Frosty looked confusedly at the imposter, but this distraction was all Professor Hinkle needed to summon a second wave of heat that arkd around Frosty's cold air and struck him on the back, melting him slowly. Frosty was overpowered, but before succumbing to the heat, Frosty looked up to Rudolph. "I'll be back again someday." He was liquified and before he could reform, Professor Hinkle lept forwards and snached the hat from the slush. He grinned wickedly as he placed it on his head. As he did so, the snow that had once belonged to Frosty began to encompass the bumble until it had achieved its ultimate form: the abominable snow monster.

Professor Hinkle smiled wickedly as Krampus joined his side once again. Strange energy began pulsating from his hands as the hat began emanating a dark aura. Rudolph, Santa and the Nutcracker could only look on in horror, floating helpless in the sky, as two flashes of energy headed straight towards them.


	3. 3 New friends, new enemies, new plan

Santa fluttered his eyes weakly. He felt as though he had just fallen into a wood chipper and hit his head on the way out. He looked around the strange log cabin he found himself in. Rudolph and the Nutcracker lay beside him. They were both out cold.

Santa rubbed his head, groaned, and stood up gingerly.

"Take it easy now," a voice spoke from behind, "It's teleportation sickness. Give it at least a few hours to wear off."

The last thing Santa could remember was being faced with a combined attack from both Krampus and Professor Hinkle, one that should have annihilated them all, but now he was here?

"What happened?"

"You were about to deck the halls with your own folly, when I sensed you were in trouble."

The voice grew louder as the figure approached. Santa turned to face it.

"Lucky for you, I happened to be playing for the king of kings at that moment, so I asked him a favor."

"Drummer boy!" Santa escalated, hobbling towards him and hugging him warmly, "I'm so glad you're here."

"Yeah, Yeah," the drummer said, "don't mention it."

Rudolph and The Nutcracker slowly regained consensus. It was then that Santa realized how damaged his friends were. Rudolph had singed fur where an energy blast had grazed him and the nutcracker had chips and gashes all over his wooden body. Scratch marks covered Santa as well and his once flawless red coat was in tatters. The drummer boy's attention shifted to Rudolph instantly as he noticed he was trying to get up.

"Oh you poor thing," he cried, rushing to his side, "How did you get all these wounds?" The boy patted Rudolph softly on the head, who instinctively wagged his tail slowly with appreciation. It was no secret that, for as long as anyone could remember, the drummer boy was quite fond of animals while also being distrusting of other humans.

The drummer boy turned his attention back to Santa.

"What's wrong with you? How could you pull a poor, defenseless animal into your wars?"

"Don't worry," another voice called, "we'll have him patched up in no time."

Rudolph recognized him instantly. "Hermey? is that you?"

"That's right," Hermey said, stepping into the light of the single bulb overhead. He looked the same age as when they had first parted. He was dressed in a scrub and armed with an array of dental supplies.

"You went to dental school?" Rudolph asked.

"Military dental school," Hermey corrected, "and Yukon's here too."

Yukon Cornelius had not aged as well as Hermey, but was also well armed. A scoped hunting riffle was strapped to his back and an array of axes and knives hung from his belt. His backpack was full of the equipment of a well experienced mountain man.

"Well blow me down and cover me with icebergs," Yukon said, "The last time I saw you was one fateful Christmas eve were you were asked to lead Santa's sleigh team. Looks like you've still got that nose though."

"You know this feller?" Yukon asked the drummer boy, who was not as shocked as one would expect to be to see a talking reindeer.

"Of course I know him. He's the most famous reindeer of all."

Yukon tapped Rudolph's nose playfully, but Santa intervened.

"That nose is going to come in handy now more than ever. It has depths of power that have not yet been tapped, as do the both of us," he said, gesturing to himself and the Nutcracker, "Our enemies are stronger now more than ever. If we ever hope to defeat them, we have some training to do."

Meanwhile, at the lair of Krampus, Professor Hinkle, Krampus and the Grinch celebrated together.

"That last shot finished them off!" Professor Hinkle exclaimed.

"The earth is mine," Krampus said, "And now, no one can stop me from claiming it."

The grinch was also singing and laughing merrily to himself.

"With Santa gone, the Whos will stop singing and hopefully then my ears will stop ringing. They'll hate Christmas, straight down to their shoes. Now their songs will go 'Boo Hoo Hoo.'"

The Abominable snow monster laughed along with them, though he was not smart enough to understand why they were laughing to begin with, but his bellows shook the cave and several icicles shattered to the ground.

"Enough," Krampus demanded, "Our work is not yet finished. Go, each of you. Topple what is left of Christmas joy. I will prepare for my world domination."

He pointed a putrid, boney finger to Professor Hinkle.

"You! You will destroy Santa's workshop."

He pointed to the abominable snow monster.

"You will hunt down anything and anyone relating to Christmas and destroy it."

He pointed to the Grinch. "And you will convince the world that Christmas is over, Santa is dead, and that I, Krampus, am the new ruler of this world. I will reap the world of half its worth in thirty days. Tell them that resistance will only cause more to perish."

With this, Krampus erupted in laughter. He was joined by the others. Together, their chilling song rung throughout wasteland and resonated off the frozen peaks outside, causing even the darkest and most vile snow imps to shudder with dread.


	4. 4 Rudolph was not an accident

Santa clenched his fists. The magic surrounding his fingers tingled like star dust. He took a deep breath, letting the icy winter air sting the inside of his nose. He tried concentrating harder, feeling the magic flowing around him like a current, but once again, he had reached his limit. Frustrated, he released the energy at a large, distant boulder, shattering it into hundreds of tiny fragments.

"Dash it through the snow," Santa cursed. "It's not enough."

The others looked on helplessly.

"We need experience," Santa reasoned, "but we also need more strength."

"There's also Krampus and his goons to think about," Hermey reasoned. "They may attack the north pole if no one is there to protect it."

Santa seemed confused, but Yukon had an idea.

"I may be just an old prospector," Yukon said hesitantly, "but I believe Hermey, myself and this here drummer boy can hold of attacks long enough for you three to find what you're looking for."

Santa nodded in somber agreement. "You are unlikely to survive if even one of them decides to attack," he said, "but it may be the only option we have."

"Don't worry," Hermey said reassuringly, "Nothing a little hygiene cant handle."

"Just keep that reindeer out of danger," the drummer boy said, "or you'll wish the entire army of Krampus would invade, just to stop me from getting to you."

"But what can you do?" Rudolph asked, "just you and your drum?"

The boy fiddled with his drum sticks for just an instant, causing them to glow slightly, before tapping out a rhythm. Involuntarily, Rudolph began to dance. He twisted, jumped and twirled with the beat. The boy struck one last, reverberating beat, freeing Rudolph from the spell.

"The drum," the boy said, "is all I need."

"We're burning time," Yukon grumbled, "now let's get going."

The three of them began walking the ten mile trail north, while Santa turned away in frustration and muttered to himself, "Be safe. Hang on. We will not fail."

"But," Rudolph said, picking up Santa's speech with sensitive ears, "what are we trying to find?"

"A true believer in Christmas," Santa replied. He adjusted his hat and picked up the Nutcracker. Santa walked south, trudging off the path and through the snow, as if directed by some unseen force. Rudolph followed behind, just as confused as ever.

"Santa," Rudolph said, "Why don't we just fly to wherever we are going?"

"Rudolph," Santa said, "Can't you see what I'm doing? Do you honestly believe I'm traveling blindly?"

Rudolph did not see what he meant, but Santa elaborated.

"Feel the energy around you. Open your mind to its power. It is the spirit of Christmas, and it is still very strong."

Rudolph looked to the nutcracker, who had his eyes closed in concentration. The nutcracker almost seemed to glow as it did so. Rudolph closed his eyes and tried to open his mind to his surroundings. And then he felt it. It was the power of belief, hope, charity, love, and enchantment. In short, it was the essence of the Christmas spirit.

"I feel it," Rudolph said excitedly.

"That," Santa explained, "is the key to your true power. Long ago, before you were born, I sensed a great evil emerging. I knew that I alone would not be capable of defeating it, so I selected the most noble soul in the north pole and infused it with this same mystical power you now feel. I never expected that soul to be a reindeer, and I could never have predicted that the gift would take the form of a glowing nose, yet here we are."

"So," Rudolph said, "what does this make me?"

Santa leaned in close. "The deciding factor to this war."

Rudolph closed his eyes again. He couldn't see it, but his nose was brighter than what Santa had ever seen before. He felt power collect around his body, especially on his nose. It flowed like wind, originating from somewhere in the distance.

"I see where it's coming from," Rudolph said.

"That," Santa said, "Is where we must go. It is where we unlock our true potential. And that is why we will not fly there. You must take time to feel this power and learn as much about it as you can before we get there. Take time, be patient, and let it guide you."

They traveled for hours, and by the time Santa believed that they were nearly halfway there, Hermey, Yukon, and the drummer boy had reached the north pole.

"Well," Yukon said, "looks like we made it."

Hermey looked around at the workshops in relief. "And it looks like we made it in time too. We'll just need to set up some defense and-"

An explosion in one of the workhouses cut Hermey off. The billowing smoke was accompanied by the panicked screams of many elves.

"Quick," Hermey said, "there's no time to waste."

As the three sprinted towards the burning building, they noticed a figure floating just above it. He wore a dark cape on his back and a silk hat upon his head. He was cackling madly. "Nasty, nasty. Think nasty!" All the while, bolts of lightning and fire erupted from his hands.

"Look," the drummer boy said, "it looks like he pulls most of his energy from his hat."

Sure enough, with each attack, power seemed to trickle down from his hat, through his body and out his hands.

"If we can take his hat," Hermey said, "it is sure to weaken him. I bet I could take it, but I need a distraction."

"Leave that to me," the drummer boy said, twirling his drumsticks effortlessly. He pounded away on his drum for a few minutes, sensing the animal lifeforms in the area. There were nearly four dozen reindeer, a flock of wild birds, and an arctic fox, all within his range of influence. All it took was a few more taps to instruct them to assemble themselves around Professor Hinkle.

At the same time, Hermey and Yukon were getting into position behind the floating madman.

"Now listen," Yukon instructed, "the drummer boy will distract him and I will make for the hat. He'll probably dodge me, so get on the other side of him so he can't escape."

"Sounds like a plan," Hermey said, preparing a dental floss lasso.

They gestured to the drummer boy and he walked toward Professor Hinkle, beating away at his drum. Professor Hinkle noticed him, but before he could attack, he was swarmed by a flock of biting and cawing birds. He swatted uselessly at them as he lost concentration and slowly floated to the ground. The fox bit his coattails, dragging him the rest of the way to the ground. The reindeer charged him at that moment, some of them flying, and Professor Hinkle used his magic to propel himself away from the stampede. Unbeknownst to him, he was headed straight for Yukon.

With a knife in one hand, Yukon lunged at the magician, but he shifted away in the opposite direction. It was all up to Hermey. He flung his floss lasso and it looped around the hat perfectly. A quick yank was all it took to separate the hat from the evil wizard. Power seemed to instantly leave him.

"Hey," he sputtered angrily, "that's no fair!"

"Your appointment is over Professor," Hermey said proudly as he held the hat in his hands. Yukon withdrew a pistol and aimed it squarely on Hinkle. The drummer boy joined his partners and ordered his animals to surround the magician once again.

It seemed like Professor Hinkle had given his final performance, but he had one more trick up his sleeve.

"Messy, messy, messy," he said. "I underestimated you. But, there is one thing you forgot. Today is still Christmas. Do you know what that means?"

Yukon and Hermey glanced at each other.

"It means," He continued, "this is Christmas snow. And Christmas snow," he said, pointing to his hat, "never disappears completely."

At that moment, Hocus Pocus, Professor Hinkle's pet rabbit, leaped out of the hat. It floated in the air for a few seconds before spinning wildly, covering Yukon, Hermey and the drummer boy in thick snow. Within seconds, the trio were trapped in a thick sheet of ice with only their heads exposed. Hocus gleefully snatched the hat and returned it to his master. Professor Hinkle removed the floss from its brim like a piece of trash before placing it on his head. The animals the drummer boy had summoned now looked on motionlessly.

"Now then," he said, "You silly children have caused a lot of trouble now haven't you?"

His rabbit admired the silk hat he wore as he raised his gloved hands high in the air.

"To coin the phrase," Professor Hinkle said triumphantly, "Abracadabra."


	5. 5 A Hero Named Charlie Brown

The magic weaved in-between the trees of the forest they were traveling through, indicating where to turn to avoid them. Santa, Rudolph and the Nutcracker walked through the frozen woods with their eyes still shut, letting the magic lead them like a trail of crumbs. After several hours, they felt a sudden surge of energy wash over them like a wave. Rudolph couldn't help but open his eyes now. They were standing on a hill overlooking a small town. The energy was emanating from somewhere within the suburban neighborhood.

"It's a town?" Rudolph asked, surprised.

"Do not let your eyes deceive you," Santa replied. "Follow my lead. Be as stealthy as you can."

Santa couldn't fly on his own, but he could jump very high. When they reached the town, they traveled by jumping rooftop to rooftop. Even though Rudolph no longer closed his eyes while he traveled, he could still feel great surges of magic originating from somewhere within the neighborhood. Eventually they reached a clearing. It was the town park. Near the center of the frozen football field, a single boy stood in the snow, facing a small tree that shone like mystic moonlight. Santa did not need to reveal to Rudolph that the boy was the source of the powerful magic they had been sensing.

"That," Santa said, "is a boy named Charlie Brown."

"What's he doing?" Rudolph asked.

"He is just about to discover the true meaning of Christmas in its entirety. We came just in time. He has come close many times, but this is the very moment we've been waiting for."

Before Rudolph could ask what that moment was exactly, a group of children joined Charlie, decorated his small tree, and they all began to sing. The warm christmas magic was so strong that Santa and the others had to plant their feet firmly into the ground to prevent being pulled towards it. After the children had finished singing, the magic seemed to quell slightly.

"Now is the moment," Santa said, walking towards the group of children.

When the children saw them, they gasped is astonishment.

"It's Santa!" they seemed to exclaim all at once, all except one.

"Oh good grief," Lucy said, "That's not Santa. It's obviously just a guy in a costume and his pet deer."

Santa tried his best to explain himself, but for some reason, his voice was distorted.

"Wa wa waah," he said, "Wa wa wa waa waaah."

Lucky, the children understood him.

"Ok sure," Lucy said, "And I'm the easter bunny."

"I dunno Lucy," Linus said, "Even if he is a fake, if he's pretending to be Santa Claus, his intentions are likely pure and charitable."

"And besides, who cares who he is underneath," Charlie said, "he is nice enough to join us on this great day, and that's all that matters to me. Even though Christmas is over, it can still feel like Christmas if we treat others with respect."

"Well I'm sure he's a good man," Lucy said, addressing the other children around her. "But he said he was Santa Claus. _The_ Santa Claus." She turned to look at Santa with a sceptic glare. "Alright big guy, prove it! Prove that you're the real Santa Claus."

"How's this for prof?" Santa said, hoping on Rudolph. In a single bound, they soared through the air, flying in circles around the crowd of children below. After several laps, Santa dismounted, fell through the air like a technicolored cannonball, and slammed into the ground in a plume of snow. He walked casually out of the small crater he had formed as Rudolph descended to the earth beside him.

"Well," he said, walking up to the children once again, "now do you believe?"

The children were in left awe for a few moments, but Lucy was the first to break the silence.

"Oh Santa," she said nervously, "Surly you knew that I never really doubted you. You never know how many fakers there are pretending to be you these days, always saying, 'ho ho ho, have you been a good little girl this year.' And they never give me what I _really_ want…"

"Enough," Santa said, extending his hand, "you are all terrific children, but I must speak to Charlie Brown immediately."

The children al turned to look at the boy, who began to feel more surprised and confused than any child there.

"Me? You want to talk to me?"

"Yes. As I understand it, you believed in Christmas long before any of your friends did."

Charlie shrugged his shoulders sheepishly, so Santa continued, "well, why did you believe in it. What pulled you through?"

Charlie took a moment to reflect on the chaotic last few days he had experienced. At first he believed Christmas was just a publicity act, but when he accepted the lead role at the Christmas play, he refused to let it become corporate. Despite his difficulty, he was eventually rewarded by learning the true meaning of Christmas by Linus, in a speech that changed all the children forever.

Charlie recounted this experience and Santa could feel the great magic flowing from the child as he spoke, but this time, he could also feel it within himself. Rudolph and the Nutcracker felt it too.

"Thank you Charlie Brown," Santa said. "I feel the hope of the holiday flowing through me once again. I feel reborn."

Charlie didn't know what so say, so he just smiled warmly.

"For helping us," Santa said, "I offer you a choice. Stay here with your friends and receive my blessing of a happy new year. Or, you can come with us, learn to use the great power within you, and help us save Christmas for good."

Charlie didn't know where Santa wanted to go, what he had meant by the "great power" or why christmas needed saving, so he looked to his friends for support.

"Don't be a blockhead," Lucy said, "go with him."

Others joined in.

"What kid do you know gets to spend Christmas break with Santa?"

"Charlie has powers? Like a superhero?"

"Don't be a Charlie Brown about this one."

With that, Charlie had made up his mind.

"Oh brother," he said, "you asked me to chose but I don't feel like I really have any other option. Then again, it _is_ what I want to do."

Santa wished he could stay a little longer and make the offer appear a little more formal, but this was no time for milk and cookies.

"Then there's no time to waste," Santa said. "I sense that something terrible has happened at the north pole. We have to fly if we're going to make it."

Santa straddled Rudolph as the Nutcracker climbed onto his back and, as if on cue, Snoopy's doghouse landed beside them with crash. Snoopy had imagined himself flying through the cloudy, uncharted sky like Amelia Earhart during one of her expeditions. Normally, his implausible adventures only existed within his overactive imagination, but surrounded by the sudden surge of christmas magic and being so close to the father of christmas himself, he found that his fantasy had merged into reality. Charlie climbed on and sat nervously behind Snoopy as the doghouse began to surge forward suddenly, as if dragged along by some unseen force, until it was lifted into the sky with more control and mobility than any airplane he had ever seen.

Rudolph quickly caught up with them and soon they were all racing northward. Although he had just gained a new ally, Santa knew that Charlie was inexperienced at using magic in any way that was practical for combat. Charlie was a pacifist, and Santa would never forgive himself if he caused that to change. Perhaps Charlie could be a healer. But now, that was not what worried Santa the most. Only moments after he had been rejuvenated by Charlie's magic, he caught a glimpse of the north pole. The factories were burning and the elves that had not perished were being lead away in chains by a black figure, floating ominously in the sky. The elves were walking solemnly towards a cave. Inside, dangling from black chains, he saw the familiar figures of Yukon and Hermey. As Santa prodded Rudolph forward, he hoped that he had seen a vision courtesy of the ghost of Christmas future, rather than the present.


	6. 6 Krampus Claus is Going to Town

"Let's see now," Professor Hinkle said to himself, though he was talking to his pet rabbit as if it could understand him. "That's two hundred and fifty nine elves either captured or killed, twelve workshops burned to cinders, and three main trade routes cut off from the rest of Santa's North Pole."

When Professor Hinkle had returned from his visit to Santa's workshop, he had sent most of the prisoners to work in slave holds of Krampus, but as for Yukon, Hermey, and the little drummer boy, the three nuisances who had caused him much more trouble than he had anticipated and had even nearly taken his precious hat away from him, he had something much more sinister planned for them. Dangling helplessly from their feet by long black chains that extended so far up into the massive cavern that none of them could see where they met the ceiling, Professor Hinkle eyed them contemptuously.

"Not to mention a few morsels for Krampus to snack on before he claims the world forever!"

He was about to chuckle with glee, before the gravity of that statement finally stuck him. Hinkle had always fancied ruling the world, and perhaps Krampus would grand him a small portion of it in return for his service. He had dreamed of performing endless tricks for a massive crowd of astonished onlookers, both young and old. But what sort of dark ruler would Krampus be? Even Hinkle shuttered inwardly as he imagined such a scenario, but another thought crossed his mind that rammed all others deep into the forgotten recesses of his mind.

"But who cares about any of that anyway. Frosty and Santa are gone! They'll never get their hat back. It was mine then and it will be mine forever. But, how about this Santa? Say that you're sorry ten thousand times and maybe I'll give it back. Oh, no wait. You cant do that, 'cause you're dead! Ha hee hee."

"Wrong!" A booming voice blasted through the cave, causing Professor Hinkle to nearly fall down in surprise. Emerging from the darkness of the cave, Krampus glared irritably at Hinkle.

"You fool. You think that blast was enough to kill Santa?"

Stunned speechless, Professor Hinkle looked up at him with newfound terror.

"Do you think it would have been enough to kill ME?"

"Of course it wouldn't kill you. You're stronger than I could ever hope to be."

"Santa and I are like two sides of a coin. We are opposites. We were created for each other. I KNOW he should have survived that attack. What's more, he's surly on his way here right now."

Krampus nodded knowingly.

"I can sense him. It won't be long now before he's upon us."

Hinkle blinked in surprise, his exuberant mood now completely replaced with confusion, fear and a touch of frustration. Krampus extended a boney finger and hissed in a controlled rage, "He cannot be allowed to interfere with my plans. Stop him!"

Professor Hinkle twiddled his fingers and cryptic symbols began dancing across them and around the brim of his hat.

"I will find him."

Hinkle closed his eyes loosely has he opened his mind and concentrated. He saw the endless white of the stormy blizzard outside, but through the flurry, he saw a massive life form. It was lumbering its way toward a collection of much smaller lifeforms traveling very quickly toward the lair.

"They're coming, but the abominable snow monster will meet them. They'll be no match for him."

Krampus scowled with impatience.

"Then go and make sure of that. Fail, and you will join these victims you've brought me."

Without a moment's hesitation, Hinkle clasped his gloved hands and began levitating out of the cave. In an instant, a flash of light erupted from his hands and he was propelled into the storm and out of sight.

Krampus turned his attention back to his three captors.

"Now then, all this planning is making me very hungry."

He began scanning them carefully. The plump one was too big to make for a quick snack and the boy looked too boney and might need to be fattened up a bit. The elf was the perfect size. Just imagining his soft body within his jaws filled his mouth with dripping, putrid saliva.

But, although the three of them seemed unconscious, they were very much awake. Throughout nearly the entire ordeal, they had secretly struggled with their shackles and had given each other discrete signals as to their progress. It was quickly discovered that Hermey's stainless steel tooth pick could also function as a good lock pick. While their captors had been distracted, they had passed the tool around until all of their locks had been disabled, and there they had waited until the perfect moment.

Krampus approached Hermey and eyed him greedily, before a wicked thought flashed deliciously across his dark eyes.

"I'd like to chew you to pieces, but I think your meat would be better eaten if it were ground into paste."

Krampus retrieved his burlap sack he always kept slung on his back and began shuffling through its contents, searching for his favorite dismembering whip, but this was just the moment Hermey and his friends had been waiting for.

"Now," he shouted, as he leapt from his shackles towards Krampus, who was so startled that he fell backwards, landing on the icy hard floor of the cave beside some of the contents of the sack that had spilled out as it tumbled down.

"Let's roast some chest nuts…"

In midair, Hermey pulled a large tooth brush from his backpack, the kind that was made of stainless steel and designed to be used on the stony tartar of frost giants, and swung the blunt end of it squarely on the side of Krampus's head, sending him hurtling towards a stalagmite, which erupted into shards upon impact.

Before the dust could settle, Yukon had already taken aim. He held his hunting rifle in one hand and a revolver in the other.

"…over an open fire!"

Flames erupted from his weapons and a hailstorm of bullets whizzed through the plume of dust where the stalagmite had been, causing it to ripple like a curtain. At the same time, the drummer boy had already tapped a few notes and had assembled a team of bats he had found in the cave to surround the site. By the time Yukon had finally run out of ammo, the dust had settled. The fiery eyes of Krampus was the first thing to cut through the dust, followed by his battered form. His jaw looked dislocated where he had been struck by Hermey and small holes riddled his face where bullets had hit him. Steam visibly fumed from his flaring nostrils and he began to spit the bullets out one by one. He placed a hand on his jaw and snapped it back into place with a painful sounding "pop."

"World domination will have to wait," the creature hissed hatefully, "so long as you are alive."

Krampus made a motion to stand up, but the drummer boy unleashed his bats at that moment, encasing Krampus in a fluttering tornado of screeching, biting fury.

"Now is the moment," Yukon shouted. "Let's get out of here. Quick, while he's busy with them."

The three bolted out the cave and through the storm outside. The raced forward, trudging through the deep snow and blinding winds as fast as they could, ignoring the stinging cold. The enraged bellows of Krampus, still so clear, even in the storm, only pushed them to travel faster.

"We'll never make it to Santa in time," Hermey said.

"No, but you mark my words, if anyone can figure out a way to stop this whole mess, it's him," Yucon said reassuringly, "but I'm more worried about that big monster in that cave back there. The only way I see us getting out of this one alive is if we hightail it into there and hide."

Yucon was pointing into the distance, where Hermey and the drummer boy could just make out the silhouette of a large factory, one so foreboding that they briefly considered their odds against Krampus, but they plowed onwards when they heard the sounds of Krampus, wailing and barking demonic curses, coming closer with each word.

"My bats have lost their hold on him," The drummer boy said, "They can't see him. He's coming this way!"

"Well then," Hermey said, "we'd better make it there before he get to us."

And so the trio raced toward the massive form of the workshop of Krampus.

Meanwhile, deep within a drafty mansion deep within the heart of a dark city, blackened as such by the massive amounts of pollution it produced daily, a skinny figure in a grimy, but expensive business suit, sat hunched in anticipation as he studied the television.

"This storm doesn't seem to be letting up," the weather reported said, standing by a intersection knee-deep in fresh snow. "Like so many places in the world, the sky itself seems to be made of snow. Several countries are now calling for a state of emergency."

The station switched to the news reporters. The figure tapped his finger impatiently on the armrest of his chair.

"Thank you for that report Jannis. Meteorologists are floored, calling this storm worse than any white christmas they could have dreamt, and since we've no place to go …" The news anchor paused, putting a finger to his earbud. "Hold on folks. I'm just getting word that the President of the United States is about to make an important announcement."

Then the president appeared on the screen, though something did look different about him. Perhaps is was his dark red eyes, his green, jagged teeth, or the slight green hue that seemed to emanate from his skin.

The figure chucked to himself and shifted in his chair, knowing that only scrutinous eyes like his would ever be able to tell that anything was amiss.

"desperate times call for desperate measures," the fake president said. "Their is only one being on earth capable of doing this. This is the work of Santa Claus!"

Such a preposterous claim on public television would normally be mocked on the spot and for years to come, but considering the violent blizzard that swirled around the Whitehouse outside the oval office, threatening to burry its inhabitants, only invested silence followed.

"Yes. Santa is angry that we have been ignoring his charity for all this time. Now he reminds us of his terrible power, one that we took for granted, but now it has gone too far. He means to freeze us all. However, there is one last hope. Krampus, the anti-Claus, my be able to defeat him, but he needs our help. A draft is immediately in place. In twenty nine days, Krampus himself will come to collect his volunteers. With this combined strength, we may be able to defeat Santa for good."

The people surrounding the president began whispering nervously, but he calmly held up a hand.

"He's coming. I've already spoken with him. Resistance is counterproductive. Cooperation is the only key to victory."

As the president was barraged with question upon question, the figure in his chair smiled to himself in satisfaction. All was according to plan.


End file.
